forum sirenhead thriller rp thing (oxo)

Started May 07, 2020 by @vibe

tune

It all started for Meg the moment she heard a faint warbling noise in the distance. She’d looked to the treeline just in time to see dozens of birds taking off from a spot deep in the forest.

The fact that she’d picked up on it from so far away, doubled with the disturbance of the animals, meant that whatever it was was loud. Unnaturally so.

She’d been incredibly curious about it, of course, but hadn’t exactly spared it much thought as she continued with her day-to-day life. That is, not until she heard it again, about a week later.

Meg had questioned some neighbors about the noise, since they had much better hearing and might’ve recognized the source, but the best answer that they could give her was that it was probably just a police car or train. Which would’ve likely soothed the curiosity of anyone else but Meg. Seeing as she’d been around plenty of each, however, and although she could only hear them when she was very close, there was a distinct difference between the sounds.

She confided in her friend, David, about the birds. He suggested that perhaps construction was being done somewhere in the forest and that was what had disturbed them. He, too, chalked up the noise to an emergency vehicle, explaining that it was possible one had driven by at the same time, and that the timing with the birds was pure coincidence.

Meg held onto her doubts, but allowed herself to be pacified for the time being.

And then it happened yet again.

The noise was starting to drive her crazy, interrupting her otherwise mostly silent life. It didn’t help that no one else seemed bothered by it, but then, she’d heard that in the world of hearing, things get tuned out or easily dismissed all the time.

Determined to find the source, she’d gathered her camping supplies, her shotgun, ammo, and several batteries. She waited until the weekend when she didn’t have to work and left a note to her parents saying she was going camping for a couple of days and not to worry.

Then she set out.

---

Since she’d enter the woods, she’d heard the sound twice more. The first, so far away that it was quieter than the first few times she’d heard it. By the second, however, it was clear she was getting closer. Which was a relief, because it was difficult for her to pick up on which direction the sound was coming from, especially with the tree’s blocking the telltale fleeing of the birds.

She quite enjoyed the weather as she walked, rejoicing in the slight nip in the air and crunchy feeling of the fallen leaves beneath her feet. Every couple of trees she’d slash a crude-looking arrow into the bark so she didn’t get lost, but she wasn’t particularly worried with her compass in pocket. It was simply an extra precaution.

By the time the sun began to set, she managed to put together a pretty cozy looking camp. Pleased with herself, Meg enjoyed her beef and vegetable stew over a warm fire, remembering afterwards to string up said can along with the rest of her food in case of any hungry wild animals.

Finished with her task, she sat back to relish in the fire’s warmth a little longer, content with looking around the small clearing she’d managed to find.

Max tightly clutched a bottle of whisky in her left hand. Stumbling slightly, she cursed the cold air under her breath. She could hear the sounds of nature in the distance, but paid no attention to them.
Breathing deeply, she took a drink.
She enjoyed the outdoors, even if she was cold and drunk. It made her feel safe. Despite the fog of alcohol over her mind, Max was aware of her surroundings.
Over the past few days, people had been complaining about noises coming from the woods. One of her neighbors thought it was some lost hikers signaling for help. Max didn’t care either way. She was investigating to be outside.
A high, tinny noise hit the air. In the distance, she saw a flock of birds disturbed as they took to the air, and fled something. Maybe hikers. Not much could make that loud of a sound.

Max began to sober up as she ventured deeper into the forest. She had put up her booze, a hunting rifle taking it’s place in her hands. She walked until the sun began to set. By then, she was deep enough that little light reached the ground. Sighing, Max threw down her things. Spreading a sleeping bag on a pile of leaves, she stretched out and fell asleep, not bothering to do anything other than remove her boots.

(yep, perfect!)

Meg woke before the rest of the forest, groggily sitting up from the slumped position she'd fallen asleep in.

There was an awful crick in her neck from having slept with her head propped all night on a log, but a few minutes of gentle rocking and the pain was manageable.

Honestly, she thought with an eyeroll. What was the point of setting up camp if I'm just going to fall asleep on the ground?

From what little she could see of the sky, she deduced that it was early morning. The sun hadn't yet risen, but she had no doubt that it soon would. The lightening sky was proof enough of that.

With a sleepy yawn, she stretched and stood to go about her tasks. By the time she'd finished regathering all of her supplies, the sky was the signature brightness of early dawn and her stomach was grumbling slightly.

Deciding to forgo a proper breakfast, she donned her hiking bag, slung her gun over her shoulder and began to munch on an apple.

She started walking again, continuing to mark the trees every so often. After another five minutes, she tossed what was left of her apple into the underbrush, consoling herself with the fact that it wasn't littering if her disposable would eventually break down into a pretty useful fertilizer.

She walked on for another few minutes, before slowing. Meg couldn't quite place it, but something felt off. Looking around warily, her nose scrunched up slightly at a whiff of…whiskey?

Is someone else here? she wondered curiously, her hand tightening around the strap of her gun just in case.

Max's head throbbed as she staggered to her feet as she rubbed her head. Hungover or not, she thought, keep looking.
Taking a large swig from her bottle, she packed her things and continued on her way. The familiar morning light touched the forest floor, giving her an idea of how late she had slept. At least 9, she thought to herself.
Max walked for a long while, until the sun was nearly at it’s peak. Trailing her fingers along the thick, tangled bush, the young woman stopped and squatted next to it. Digging under the leaves and branches, she found an apple core. It was fairly fresh, hardly showing any brown on it.
Taking another drink, Max tossed the core away and continued on, storing the idea that someone was in the forest with her behind more prevalent facts.
Again, like yesterday, a high, eerie note would hit the air, disturbing the otherwise calm and quiet wildlife. Max started to become nervous. The noises happened periodically. She began to doubt her earlier assumption of lost or injured hikers.
She wasn’t stupid. She had heard rumors of some sort of creature living near here in this forest. She just passed it off as superstition, or a teenager's LSD trip. Max stopped taking drinks from her bottle, letting her mind slowly clear, the fog that usually laid over her brain replaced with a splitting headache.
After another period of travel, her headache came and went in varying degrees. By the time it started to subside, she stumbled upon a fresh campsite. A fire had clearly been started, and depressions in the ground made a pitched tent obvious.
Grumbling to herself, Max passed by, wondering who else was stupid enough to spent the night in these woods.